G&L CLF Research L-1000 - Royal Purple Review

Leo got it right the last time.

Leo got it right the last time. The P-bass, that is. This is one fantastic bass. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is because of some really nit-picky stuff. The tuners have a slight bit of slop going down in pitch. There were a couple rough/sharp edges on the machined aluminum control knobs that I had to smooth out. Not enough to hurt anyone, or even be a nuisance, just… read more noticeable. That's seriously all the bad there is. Now the good- mechanically it's perfect. Fit and finish are flawless. It's a work of art. Everything lines up perfectly and is measured, cut, and put together in a way that just can't be argued with. No sharp or funky fret ends. Much more importantly, the frets are leveled and crowned, and the nut is cut and finished, at a level that rivals or exceeds boutique quality. What does it compare to? For fairness' sake I'm going to compare it to an '81 L1000 I used to own. Compared to the '81 it's lighter. It's better balanced. The 6 bolt neck joint (as opposed to the original three bolt style) coupled with a dual action truss rod and graphite reinforcement make it much more stable. The neck also seems slightly smaller and slimmer. Not by a huge amount, but enough that it makes this a very comfortable gigging bass. The neck shape is a joy and gives me zero hand fatigue over a 3-4 hour night. Sonically? I like the new one better as well. My old L1000 was a great sounding bass. But I like this one better. It's a little brighter, and has a lot more clarity. The old one was a little warmer and woolier sounding. Which one you'll prefer is subjective, but I find I can still get that tone with this one, but I also have the option of being crystal clear, almost hi-fi. One thing that hasn't changed is the crazy output and headroom. I've never owned any other passive bass with this much output. It's nuts. And it's a lot of fun. Compared to a traditional P, there's no contest in my opinion. P's are very cool, and as popular as they are for very good reason. But the Wunkay will get so close to a traditional P sound it would fool pretty much anyone in a blind test, while having the added advantage of being so much more versatile. The tones hiding in this thing as a result of the passive bass and treble cut controls, as well as the three separate pickup voicings (parallel, single coil, and OMG) make this guy a clear winner. Last bit not least, the purple finish. Sweetwater gallery pics do NOT do it justice at all. In person it's much brighter, more vibrant, and super metallic. It's almost sparkly. The only way I can describe it is to say it's much more purple and metallic than the pictures suggest. For me, that was a huge bonus. Overall, I'm very pleased with this bass, and plan to own it for a very long time. Hopefully til it's time for the ol' dirt nap. And as always, Sweetwater and my sales rep were excellent to deal with. I always check here first when I'm shopping for anything g music related.

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